Dyslexia

Dyslexia

Does your child struggle to read? Have you noticed or been told by a teacher that your child struggles to learn the alphabet, decode words, read passages fluently, spell or understand what they have read? I can answer yes to these questions. Two of my children have dyslexia. I have struggled to secure early evaluations and proper interventions for them in the local school system.

According to the National Institutes of Health, dyslexia affects at least 1 of every 5 children in the United States. Dyslexia is not the only cause for reading problems, but it is the most common. The remedy is an educational intervention that requires highly trained, skilled teachers in reading and writing.

Unfortunately, our family has found it difficult to obtain these interventions within our public schools in a timely manner. We have had to wait for our children to fail and fall far behind their peers for our schools to finally take notice.

If you have struggled to gain access to evaluations and/or to find help for your children with dyslexia, you must take a look at the current bills, which have been introduced in the state Legislature. These bills (A3605, A3606, A3607, A3608, A3609, and AR129) address a universal definition of dyslexia in our state education code, teacher training and kindergarten screening.

Read the bills then contact your local legislators and let them know what you think. It will take a public outcry from families to get dyslexia legislation passed. Please help by speaking out now.